Country Music

Category: Country Music

Country music is about storytelling, songwriters write about things you can relate to like home, family, falling in love and everyday life. Other genres of music may focus a little less on the lyrics and more on the beat, country is all about the lyrics. This is why country music is so relatable to everyday people. Country songs are filled with emotions, passion and good story telling.

Country song writers create music that is meant to touch your heart and fill your soul. Some songs are even funny. They write tributes to fallen heroes, funny songs about falling out of love, falling in love and how to deal with life’s hurts. They write about things that happen to all of us, we all struggle and fall in and out of love.

The Instruments

Country music has a simple sound it uses instruments like guitars, both electric and acoustic, fiddles, banjos and while they do use drums it is not as hard as you would find in rock music. The instruments are not the focus of the music, it is the lyrics. The instruments provide a softer sound meant to allow the lyrics to shine rather than overpowering the singer.

Many musicians find writing country songs easier than other genres. We have all had to deal with heartache, family squabbles, and of course all the complications that come with love. Writers have plenty of their own experiences to draw from and it is easier to put those feelings to music.

Keep a Journal

You will find that many songwriters and musicians keep pen and paper nearby for those times that inspiration arrives. We all have ideas that pop into our head that are later forgotten, keep a journal or somewhere to write your ideas down can help. When that perfect combination of words comes to you, the last thing you want to do is lose them. If writing country music is not your strong suit, country artists do plenty of collaborations.

Songwriters Rule

At its heart country music will always be about storytelling, that is what makes it so relatable. As country music grows in popularity the demand for original, well written songs and music has grown along with it. There are plenty of country artists and groups that do write their own music there are still plenty who rely on songwriters for original material.

People connect country music to their own lives, the music is straightforward and easy to understand. That is why the industry is growing at such a fast pace and country is now more popular than ever.

Country music has been around for decades, but like any type of music it has changed a lot since the days of Jimmie Rodgers and Eck Robertson. If you are a fan of today’s country artists you may not be so in love with the country music of the 20’s and 30’s. It is hard to explain how the music can still be so different yet still considered ‘Country’. So what makes country music unique? Let’s find out.

The Instruments

Older country music used to feature fiddles, banjos, guitars and it had a definite gospel flavor. Later much slower and simple chords defined country music. Today that is not the case, you will find a mix of traditional instruments mixed with what you would find in a rock band.

Lyrics

This is definitely one of the defining features of country music. The songs tell stories about loss, pain and everyday life lessons we all go through. That is what differentiated country from other music, it is incredibly relatable for most people. However, today’s country doesn’t always focus so much on the ‘storytelling’ aspect, it has become just as commercial as pop music. Country music has become big business and the changes in the industry have reflected that. Country music used to be more of a social commentary on the common folk in America, farmers, miners, factory workers and other blue collar trades.

The Distinctive Twang

Is it the twang that defines country music? Many would say yes. That being said plenty of modern country music lacks that distinctive twang you used to take for granted, but they still define themselves as country artists. Even artists like Keith Urban who hails from Australia…definitely no southern twang, still sounds distinctly country.

There is country music that has hit the pop charts and been very successful. Even the most diehard country music lovers can’t distinguish it from radio pop. Think of artists like Shania Twain back in the 90’s all the way to Carrie Underwood today, they have enjoyed crossover success.

None of that tells us what defines country music or what makes it unique. There are lots of purists who claim we haven’t had any “real country music” since at least the 70’s. Others claim that country has become just too commercial, and there may be some truth to that. Regardless of opinions country music is enjoying a greater popularity than ever before, and that is a good thing.

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